Share to: share facebook share twitter share wa share telegram print page

Diana Becton

Diana Becton
District Attorney of Contra Costa County
Assumed office
September 18, 2017
Preceded byMark Peterson
Personal details
Born (1951-08-16) August 16, 1951 (age 72)
Political partyDemocratic
EducationSan Francisco State University (BA)
Golden Gate University (JD)
Pacific School of Religion (MTS)

Diana Becton, also known as Diana Becton Smith[1] (born August 16, 1951) is a former trial judge and is currently both the first woman and first African American to be elected district attorney in the history of Contra Costa County in California.

Education and early career

Becton attended Oakland public schools. She received a B.A. in Economics from San Francisco State University and a J.D. from Golden Gate University School of Law.[2] Becton worked as a Housing Finance & Development Supervisor for the city of Richmond from 1979 to 1987. Becton worked in private practice from 1987 to 1995.[2]

Becton was appointed to the Contra Costa County Superior Court in 1995 by then Governor Pete Wilson. In 2011, she was elected by her colleagues to be the presiding judge, in charge of court administration.[2][3]

Becton has a Master's degree in Theology from the Pacific School of Religion.[2]

Becton was admitted to the State Bar of California on December 11, 1986, and her attorney status is active. She became a judge on November 28, 1995,[4] where she served for 22 years on the Contra Costa County Superior Court.

Contra Costa County District Attorney

On June 14, 2017, Contra Costa County District Attorney Mark Peterson resigned in a plea deal with the Attorney General of California's office, relating to the improper use of campaign funds for personal expenditures.[5][6]

The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors reviewed applications and chose Becton out of 12 applicants and five finalists to serve the remainder of the unexpired term.[7] In her application, Becton said that she would pursue criminal justice reform issues such as bail reform.[3] Becton's supporters praised her community involvement and her work helping former prisoners integrate back into society.[3][8] During the selection process, an anonymous letter accused Becton of plagiarism in her written application for the District Attorney position. Becton admitted to copying material and said that she did not intend to present the ideas as her original thoughts.[3][9][10][8][11] Becton was sworn on September 18, 2017.[12]

Becton ran for election for a full term for District Attorney.[13] In the June 2018 primary election, Becton won a majority of the vote, winning the contest outright and pre-empting a November runoff.[14] The Mercury News noted that her election victory made her "the first African-American and first woman to be elected DA in the office’s roughly 160-year history".[14] Becton's campaign received support from a consortium of social justice groups, Democratic activists, and wealthy funders including George Soros.[15][16]

In 2019, Becton established a conviction integrity unit to review wrongful convictions.[17] The unit moved to dismiss three convictions that relied on the uncorroborated testimony of a police officer who was accused of misconduct. The misconduct came to light after a new state law, SB 1421, made certain police records accessible to public records requests.[18][19]

On July 7, 2020, Becton charged two residents of Contra Costa with a hate crime for allegedly defacing a Black Lives Matter mural.[20]

In April 2021, Becton's office filed charges against former Danville Police Officer Andrew Hall, for the 2018 killing of Laudemer Arboleda while on duty. Becton said that Hall used "unreasonable and unnecessary force" when he shot Arboleda during an attempted traffic stop. A jury convicted Hall for assault with a deadly weapon, and deadlocked on the charge for voluntary manslaughter.[21] In March 2022, Hall was sentenced to six years in prison.[22]

In the June 2022 election, Becton secured a majority of the vote and won re-election, defeating opponent Mary Knox. Columnist Mark Z. Babarak wrote that Becton successfully campaigned on both public safety and criminal justice reform. Becton was able to win while Chesa Boudin, another progressive District Attorney in the Bay Area, lost his election.[23] In an interview after the election, Becton noted that her campaign's messaging on a) public safety and b) accountability for public officials and police officers resonated the most with voters. Becton declined to opine on Boudin's campaign performance.[24]

Personnel Issues

In July 2019, Chief Deputy District Attorney Phyllis Redmond resigned, citing disagreements in management style. Redmond said that Becton did not seek input from prosecutors on key decisions around changes to the state's murder law, leading to the freeing of a prisoner after their murder conviction was overturned. Redmond joined at least 12 staff attorneys out of about 90 who had resigned in the prior six months. The report suggested that staff members in the District Attorney's office resisted Becton's progressive reforms and progressive changes to state law that seek more alternatives to traditional "tough on crime" measures.[25]

In 2019, Deputy District Attorney Mary Knox filed a complaint of retaliation against Becton. According to Knox, Becton demoted Knox after learning that Knox supported Becton's opponent in the 2018 election. The merit board sent the case before an administrative law judge, who recommended that Becton had not committed political retaliation.[26] In 2021, the Contra Costa Merit Board rejected the recommendation, and some board members cast doubt on sworn statements made by Becton and her chief deputy.[26] Knox ran against Becton for District Attorney in 2022.[27][28]

In February 2020, four women deputy district attorneys sued Becton in federal court for gender and age discrimination, alleging they were demoted and passed up for promotions.[29][30]

Personal life

Becton grew up in East Oakland.[31] She resides in El Sobrante, California.[12]

In 2020, Becton married Dr. Alvin Bernstine, a pastor.[32][33] Becton received criticism for hosting an outdoor wedding at her home in August 2020, when the county had placed restrictions on gatherings to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. Becton said she consulted with the county health services and that "I did everything that I knew possible to obtain the best information".[34][35]

See also

References

  1. ^ ABC30 staff (December 30, 2009). "Boy charged in Portola Middle School rape pleads not guilty". ABC30 Fresno. Archived from the original on November 13, 2017. Retrieved November 13, 2017.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  2. ^ a b c d "New Contra Costa DA Becton takes oath of office, begins her interim tenure". Contra Costa Herald. September 25, 2017. Archived from the original on November 26, 2022. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d Veklerov, Kimberly (September 13, 2017). "Judge picked as interim Contra Costa County district attorney". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on September 3, 2018. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
  4. ^ The State Bar of California (2017). "Attorney Search: The State Bar of California". members.calbar.ca.gov. Archived from the original on February 11, 2023. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
  5. ^ Gutierrez, Melody; Veklerov, Kimberly (June 15, 2017). "Contra Costa County DA quits after charges filed". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on September 1, 2022. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
  6. ^ Winton, Richard (June 14, 2017). "Contra Costa County district attorney resigns, pleads no contest to felony perjury – LA Times". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
  7. ^ Alvero, Erika (September 19, 2017). "Diana Becton sworn in as Contra Costa district attorney". DanvilleSanRamon.com. Embarcadero Media. Archived from the original on November 13, 2017. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
  8. ^ a b Taylor Jr., Otis R. (September 18, 2017). "New Contra Costa district attorney has chance to make a difference". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on September 18, 2017. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
  9. ^ "All Contra Costa DA finalists strongly deny being behind anonymous plagiarism letter, or knowing who did it". The Mercury News. August 29, 2017. Archived from the original on July 2, 2022. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
  10. ^ Gartrell, Nate (August 18, 2017). "Alleged plagiarism could shake up Contra Costa DA selection". East Bay Times. Archived from the original on September 29, 2022. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
  11. ^ Lewis, Sukey (August 18, 2017). "Unattributed Responses From Contra Costa County District Attorney Candidates Spark Concern". KQED. Archived from the original on July 2, 2022. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
  12. ^ a b "Recently retired judge selected as Contra Costa Co. D.A." KTVU. Bay City News. September 12, 2017. Archived from the original on October 4, 2017. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
  13. ^ "These 3 Women Could Change the California Justice System for Good". San Diego Free Press. March 12, 2018. Archived from the original on September 3, 2018. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
  14. ^ a b Gartrell, Nate (June 14, 2018). "Graves concedes; Diana Becton likely Contra Costa's first elected African-American, woman DA". The Mercury News. Archived from the original on February 11, 2023. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
  15. ^ "Here's why George Soros, liberal groups are spending big to help decide who's your next D.A." Los Angeles Times. May 23, 2018. Archived from the original on June 8, 2020. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
  16. ^ Thompson, Don (June 7, 2018). "Soros-backed California county prosecutors fail in 3 races". AP NEWS. Archived from the original on September 29, 2022. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
  17. ^ Sciacca, Annie; Gartrell, Nate (May 24, 2019). "Mission of DA's new unit is to spring the wrongly convicted from prison". East Bay Times. Archived from the original on July 2, 2022. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
  18. ^ Gafni, Matthias (December 20, 2019). "Prosecutors to dismiss 3 convictions involving disgraced Antioch cop". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on December 22, 2019. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
  19. ^ Peele, Thomas (April 26, 2019). "District Attorney Launches New Probe Into Fired Antioch Detective". KQED. Archived from the original on July 2, 2022. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
  20. ^ Campos, Elizabeth (June 7, 2020). "2 Martinez Residents Charged With Hate Crime After Defacing BLM Mural". NBCBayArea. Archived from the original on July 7, 2020. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
  21. ^ "Contra Costa Sheriff's Deputy Convicted of Assault in 2018 Fatal Shooting". KQED. October 26, 2021. Archived from the original on December 2, 2022. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
  22. ^ Lewis, Sukey (March 4, 2022). "'We Prayed He Would Get Jail Time': Ex-Contra Costa Cop Gets 6 Years in Prison for Killing Man With Mental Illness". KQED. Archived from the original on December 2, 2022. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
  23. ^ Barabak, Mark (June 30, 2022). "Column: How a progressive Bay Area prosecutor was reelected while San Francisco tossed its liberal D.A." Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on February 10, 2023. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
  24. ^ Ting, Eric (June 30, 2022). "This Calif. progressive DA beat back tough-on-crime backlash. How?". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on August 15, 2022. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
  25. ^ Gartrell, Nate (July 2, 2019). "Contra Costa DA's number two resigns, says handling of murder cases 'made me sick inside'". The Mercury News. Archived from the original on December 4, 2022. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
  26. ^ a b Gartrell, Nate (April 16, 2021). "'I think that's fake news': Contra Costa merit board members say they don't buy DA's sworn testimony, rule in favor of demoted prosecutor". East Bay Times. Archived from the original on December 7, 2022. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
  27. ^ Gartrell, Nate (May 22, 2022). "Contra Costa DA race fought against backdrop of stark policy contrasts, lawsuit, office drama". The Mercury News. Archived from the original on July 2, 2022. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
  28. ^ Lin, Da (June 5, 2022). "Contra Costa County DA race pits boss against deputy". CBS News Bay Area. Archived from the original on July 2, 2022. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
  29. ^ Gartrell, Nate (February 27, 2020). "Four prosecutors sue Contra Costa D.A., alleging 'systemic' sexism". The Mercury News. Archived from the original on August 30, 2022. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
  30. ^ "4 Female Prosecutors File Discrimination Suit vs. Contra Costa DA". NBC Bay Area. February 28, 2020. Archived from the original on May 24, 2022. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
  31. ^ "Opinion: Diana Becton Becomes First Woman and Person of Color to be Elected  – Oakland Post". Oakland Post. June 23, 2018. Archived from the original on September 3, 2018. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
  32. ^ "Contra Costa DA Diana Becton's husband named in underage sex suit". KRON4. April 27, 2022. Archived from the original on July 2, 2022. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
  33. ^ "Contra Costa DA Becton marries minister and preaches at their Richmond church". Contra Costa Herald. February 9, 2021. Archived from the original on July 2, 2022. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
  34. ^ Colorado, Melissa (February 8, 2021). "Contra Costa County District Attorney Defends Backyard Wedding". NBC Bay Area. Archived from the original on December 5, 2022. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
  35. ^ Gardiner, Dustin (February 7, 2021). "Contra Costa district attorney hosted wedding party as county battled summer surge". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on December 5, 2022. Retrieved July 2, 2022.

External links

Media related to Diana Becton at Wikimedia Commons

Read more information:

5020 Asimov

5020 Asimov adalah sebuah asteroid yang ditemukan pada 2 Maret 1981 oleh Schelte J. Bus. Nama asteroid ini berasal dari nama Isaac Asimov, seorang penulis fiksi ilmiah Amerika Serikat. Pranala luar (Inggris) Data-data 5020 Asimov lbsDaftar asteroid sabuk utamamenurut abjad nama 73533 Alonso 60001 Adélka 79353 Andrewalday 78430 Andrewpearce 5020 Asimov 5 Astraea 78429 Baschek 79271 Bellagio 78118 Bharat 83360 Catalina 79144 Cervantes 84095 Davidjohn 78392 Dellinger 84012 Deluise 78393 Dillon 785…

Kepunahan Neanderthal

Kepunahan Neanderthal dimulai sekitar 40.000 tahun yang lalu di Eropa, setelah manusia modern anatomis telah mencapai benua tersebut. Masa tersebut, yang didasarkan pada penelitian yang dipublikasikan di Nature pada tahun 2014, jauh lebih awal dari perkiraan sebelumnya, dan ditetapkan melalui metode penanggalan radio karbon yang telah diperbaiki dengan menganalisis 40 situs dari Spanyol sampai Rusia. Survei ini tidak mencakup situs-situs di Asia, di mana Neanderthal bisa saja bertahan lebih lama…

Daftar Ketua Menteri Himachal Pradesh

Ketua Menteri Himachal Pradesh(Himachal Pradesh Mukhya Mantri)PetahanaSukhvinder Singh Sukhusejak 14 Desember 2022Ditunjuk olehGubernur Himachal PradeshPejabat perdanaYashwant Singh ParmarDibentuk8 Maret 1952 Ketua Menteri Himachal Pradesh adalah ketua eksekutif di negara bagian utara India Himachal Pradesh. Sesuai dengan Konstitusi India, gubernur adalah seorang kepala de jure negara bagian, namun otoritas eksekutif de facto dipegang ketua menteri. Setelah pemilihan-pemilihan dari Mahkamah…

Achjar Iljas

Achjar IljasLahir10 Februari 1948 (umur 76)Maninjau, Agam, Sumatera BaratKebangsaanIndonesiaAlmamater- Universitas Indonesia- Duke University, North Carolina, Amerika Serikat- Universitas PadjadjaranPekerjaanEkonomDikenal atasDeputi Gubernur BI H. Achjar Iljas, S.E., M.A., M.H. (lahir 10 Februari 1948) adalah seorang ekonom Indonesia. Saat ini ia menjabat sebagai Komisaris Independen Bank Maybank Indonesia.[1] Ia pernah menjadi Komisaris Utama Bank BNI Syariah. Sebelumnya, ia pernah…

Kapur naga

Kapur naga Calophyllum soulattri Status konservasiRisiko rendahIUCN33180 TaksonomiDivisiTracheophytaSubdivisiSpermatophytesKladAngiospermaeKladmesangiospermsKladeudicotsKladcore eudicotsKladSuperrosidaeKladrosidsKladfabidsOrdoMalpighialesFamiliCalophyllaceaeGenusCalophyllumSpesiesCalophyllum soulattri Burm.f., 1768 lbs Kapur naga (Calophyllum soulattri) atau bintangur, gamer, atau sulatri adalah salah satu spesies Calophyllum yang dapat ditemukan tumbuh di Asia Selatan, Asia Tenggara, dan Austra…

Anarchism in Egypt

Egyptian anarchist movement Part of a series onAnarchism History Outline Schools of thought Feminist Green Primitivist Social ecology Total liberation Individualist Egoist Free-market Naturist Philosophical Mutualism Postcolonial African Black Queer Religious Christian Jewish Social Collectivist Parecon Communist Magonism Without adjectives Methodology Agorism Illegalism Insurrectionary Communization Expropriative Pacifist Platformism Especifismo Relationship Syndicalist Synthesis Theory Practic…

Resolusi 459 Dewan Keamanan Perserikatan Bangsa-Bangsa

Resolusi 459Dewan Keamanan PBBPosisi UNIFIL pada 1989Tanggal19 Desember 1979Sidang no.2.180KodeS/RES/459 (Dokumen)TopikIsrael-LebanonRingkasan hasil12 mendukungTidak ada menentang2 abstainHasilDiadopsiKomposisi Dewan KeamananAnggota tetap Tiongkok Prancis Britania Raya Amerika Serikat Uni SovietAnggota tidak tetap Bangladesh Bolivia Gabon Jamaika Kuwait Nigeria Norwegia Portugal Cekoslowakia Zambia Resolusi 459 …

Medali Bintang Perunggu

Bronze Star Medal Bronze Star Medal tanpa V (Valor) device Dianugerahkan oleh Amerika Serikat Jenis Medali militer (Dekorasi) Dianugerahkan atas dasar Pengabdian atau layanan heroik atau berjasa Status Masih diberikan Satya lencana Army and Air Force – V Device Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard – Combat V Statistik Ditetapkan pada Executive Order 9419, 4 February 1944 (Superseded by E.O. 11046, 24 August 1962). Anugerah pertama 4 Februari 1944 (Retroaktif pada 7 Desember 1941). Anugerah te…

Hukum Henry

William Henry Dalam kimia, Hukum Henry adalah salah satu dari hukum gas yang dirumuskan oleh kimiawan Inggris William Henry, yang mempelajari topik tersebut di awal abad ke-19. Dalam publikasinya mengenai kuantitas gas yang diserap oleh air,[1] ia menggambarkan hasil eksperimennya: ...Air membutuhkan, gas terkondensasi, dengan satu, dua, atau lebih tambahan atmosfer, suatu kuantitas dimana, biasanya dikompresi, akan sebanding dengan dua kali, tiga kali lipat, volume yang diserap di bawah…

Rōgo ni Sonaete Isekai de 8-manmai no Kinka wo Tamemasu

Rōgo ni Sonaete Isekai de 8-manmai no Kinka wo TamemasuGambar sampul novel ringan volume pertama老後に備えて異世界で８万枚の金貨を貯めます(Rōgo ni Sonaete Isekai de 8-Man-Mai no Kinka o Tamemasu)GenreIsekai Seri novelPengarangFUNA [ja]PenerbitShōsetsuka ni NarōTerbit2 November 2015 – sekarang Novel ringanPengarangFUNAIlustratorTōzaiPenerbitKodanshaPenerbit bahasa InggrisNA Kodansha USAImprintKodansha Ranobe Books [ja]DemografiPriaTerbit29 Jun…

Pinang, Tangerang

PinangKecamatanPeta lokasi Kecamatan PinangNegara IndonesiaProvinsiBantenKotaTangerangPemerintahan • CamatSyarifudin Harja WinataPopulasi • Total103,728 jiwa jiwaKode Kemendagri36.71.11 Kode BPS3671021 Luas21,10 km²Desa/kelurahan11 Untuk kegunaan lain, lihat Pinang. Pinang adalah sebuah kecamatan di Kota Tangerang, Provinsi Banten, Indonesia. Kecamatan Pinang terletak di bagian selatan Kota Tangerang dan berbatasan langsung dengan Kota Tangerang Selatan di sebelah s…

La Liga records and statistics

La Liga records For the all time Spanish league statistics, see Football records and statistics in Spain. The La Liga is a Spanish professional league for association football club. At the top of the Spanish football league system, it is the country's primary football competition and is contested by 20 clubs. The competition was formed in 1929, with an initial format of 10 teams. League records See also: List of Spanish football champions Records in this section refer to La Liga from its foundin…

Kelenjar Bartholin

Kelenjar BartholinRincianPendahuluUrogenital sinusArteriexternal pudendal artery[1]Sarafilioinguinal nerve [1]Limfasuperficial inguinal lymph nodesPengidentifikasiBahasa Latinglandula vestibularis majorMeSHD001472TA98A09.2.01.016TA23563FMA9598Daftar istilah anatomi[sunting di Wikidata] Kelenjar Bartholin atau dalam bahasa Latin glandula vestibularis major adalah kelenjar ganda yang terletak di bawah dan di kiri dan kanan dari pembukaan vagina pada wanita. Kelenjar ini menghas…

National Hockey League

North American professional ice hockey league NHL redirects here. For other uses, see NHL (disambiguation). National Hockey LeagueLigue nationale de hockey (French)Current season, competition or edition: 2023–24 NHL seasonSportIce hockeyFoundedNovember 26, 1917 (106 years ago) (1917-11-26),Montreal, Quebec, Canada[1]First season1917–18CommissionerGary BettmanNo. of teams32CountriesCanada (7 teams)United States (25 teams)HeadquartersOne Manhattan West395 Ninth AvenueNew …

Cekungan Sungai Nil

Cekungan Sungai Nil Cekungan Sungai Nil adalah bagian dari Afrika yang mengarah menuju Sungai Nil dan anak-anak sungainya. Selain menjadi cekungan hidrografi terbesar kedua di Afrika, Cekungan Sungai Nil juga merupakan cekungan drainase paling terkenal di benua itu. Cekungan ini mencakup area sekitar 2.870.000 km 2,[1] atau sekitar 10% wilayah Afrika, melintasi daerah gersang dan dengan kepadatan penduduk yang tinggi. Inisiatif Lembah Sungai Nil telah ada sejak tahun 1999, dengan tu…

François Laurent d'Arlandes

Artikel ini sebatang kara, artinya tidak ada artikel lain yang memiliki pranala balik ke halaman ini.Bantulah menambah pranala ke artikel ini dari artikel yang berhubungan atau coba peralatan pencari pranala.Tag ini diberikan pada November 2022. François Laurent d'Arlandes François Laurent Marquis d'Arlandes (1742 - 1 Mei 1809) adalah seorang pelopor dari penerbangan balon udara panas bersama-sama dengan Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier. Mereka terbang pertama kalinya di Paris pada 21 Novembe…

Lam luang

Music genre developed in Laos This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.Find sources: Lam luang – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (May 2022) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) Lao morlam musicians Lam Lueang or Lam Lüang is a musical genre developed in Laos. Inspired by Thai music, it com…

Parent process

Computing software instance that has created one or more child processes This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these template messages) This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.Find sources: Parent process – news · newspapers · books …

Alteplase

Thrombolytic medication AlteplaseClinical dataTrade namesActivase, Actilyse, Cathflo Activase, othersOther namest-PA, rt-PAAHFS/Drugs.comMonographLicense data EU EMA: by INN US DailyMed: Alteplase Pregnancycategory AU: B1 Routes ofadministrationIntravenousATC codeB01AD02 (WHO) S01XA13 (WHO)Legal statusLegal status AU: S4 (Prescription only)[1] CA: ℞-only US: ℞-only[2][3] EU: Rx-only[4] IdentifiersCAS…

Médias de masse

Pour les articles homonymes, voir Masse (homonymie). Médias de massePrésentationType Discipline académique, spécialité (d), branche économiquePartie de Communication de massemodifier - modifier le code - modifier Wikidata Les médias de masse (francisation de l'anglais : mass media) sont l'ensemble des moyens de diffusion de masse de l'information, de la publicité et de la culture, ils sont capables d'atteindre et d'influencer un large public. Les principaux moyens de communication d…

Kembali kehalaman sebelumnya